MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 football rankings

Video: Xcellent 25 High School Football Rankings
De La Salle awaits a test from Pittsburg on Dec. 2.

The playoffs are suddenly in the semifinal rounds for larger schools and in title-rounds for smaller programs. All section champions will earn a CIF Northern California Regional berth.

Top-ranked De La Salle has a bye this week but will face a Pittsburg team ranked third here, and that's the last program to stick the Spartans with a NorCal loss — in 1991.

MaxPreps Norcal Top 25 high school football teams
1. (Last week 1) De La Salle (Concord), 10-1
Section: North Coast
League: Independent
Coach: Justin Alumbaugh
Next: vs. No. 3 Pittsburg, Dec. 2
Update: Top ranked by the Bay Area News Group and the San Francisco Chronicle, the Spartans needed just six plays from scrimmage to storm to a 21-0 lead, including touchdown sprints of 75 and 71 yards by Kairee Robinson and Shamar Garrett, respectively, to set a tone in a 45-7 rout of Clayton Valley Charter in a North Coast Section Open Division contest. De La Salle's unbeaten streak is 288 against Northern California schools since 1992 (north of Fresno). The Spartans lost this season to national power Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas. De La Salle seeks its 27th consecutive section championship and 30th since 1981 — and its 12th consecutive CIF State final. The Spartans have gone 440-23-3 since 1982 with 21 unbeaten seasons.

2. (2) Folsom, 12-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Kris Richardson
Next: vs. No. 9 Jesuit, Friday
Update: Top ranked by The Sacramento Bee and in The Bee's section rankings, the Bulldogs beat Tracy 56-21 after leading 35-7 at the half in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I quarterfinal. Kaiden Bennett passed for 283 yards and five touchdowns, three to Joe Ngata, and eight players carried the ball for a total of 176 yards. Earlier wins were over previous No. 4 Jesuit and No. 3 Granite Bay 35-14 and over No. 5 Oakdale 45-29. Folsom is 108-9 this decade, one in which the Bulldogs reached seven successive section-title games, winning five, to go with two CIF State titles and two 14-0 teams that lost to De La Salle in NorCal Open title games.



3. (3) Pittsburg, 9-1
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Vic Galli
Next: vs. No. 1 De La Salle, Dec. 2
Update: The Pirates beat San Ramon Valley 16-7 in a the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs. The Pirates had four sacks and 352 yards of offense. An earlier win was over ranked Freedom 47-33 and a 35-28 win over ranked Serra. Pittsburg had a game canceled due to poor air quality and extreme heat and lost its opener to national power Centennial 63-21, playing short-handed due to injury. This is the last NorCal program to beat De La Salle, in the 1991 North Coast Section title game.

4. (4) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 11-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Eric Cavaliere
Next: vs. No. 7 St. Mary's, Friday
Update: The second-seeded Trojans beat 11-0 Gregori (Modesto) 49-14 and led 35-7 at the half in an Sac-Joaquin Section Division I game as backup quarterback Matt Jenner had another monstrous game in place of starter Marco Baldacchino, who rested a strained knee. Jenner passed for 177 yards and five touchdowns and has 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions in the playoffs. Oak Ridge also beat SJS Division II top seed Granite Bay 14-7 in overtime in league play and lost 42-28 to Folsom. Oak Ridge won section banners in Division II and III and seek their first in Division I.

5. (5) Oakdale, 11-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Trent Merzon
Next: vs. Patterson, Friday
Update: Top ranked by The Modesto Bee, the Mustangs beat Vanden 41-16 a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III contest and looked the part of defending champion. The Week 10 victory that earned Oakdale the No. 1 seed was a 27-21 effort over Central Catholic. The defending section and CIF State Division III-A champion Mustangs gave No. 2 Folsom a game on Sept. 8, falling 45-29.

6. (7) Central Catholic (Modesto), 10-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Roger Canepa
Next: vs. Del Oro, Friday
Update: The Raiders, ranked second by The Modesto Bee behind Oakdale, beat Rocklin 42-14 in leading 28-3 at the half in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II game as Dauson Booker ran for 226 yards and three scores and Coleby Garrett went for 111 and two. The loss was in Week 10 to Oakdale, 27-21. An early win was over previous No. 8 Manteca 31-14 and 20-7 over previous No. 2 St. Mary's. A September game at Marin Catholic was canceled due to extreme heat. Central Catholic won CIF State titles in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

7. (8) St. Mary's (Stockton), 10-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-County
Coach: Tony Franks
Next: vs. No. 4 Oak Ridge, Friday
Update: The Rams beat Sheldon 31-28 in passing for 169 yards and rushing for 157 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Divison I game. The losses were to national No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 52-14 and to No. 6 Central Catholic 20-7 after opening the season ranked No. 2 here. St. Mary's opened with a 41-13 rout of then-No. 4 Serra (San Mateo). The Rams are defending section Division I and NorCal Division I-AA champions, beating Folsom and Freedom in the 2016 playoffs.

8. (9) Serra (San Mateo), 9-2
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Patrick Walsh
Next: vs. No. 10 Valley Christian, Friday
Update: The Padres rolled WCAL rival Archbishop Mitty 52-7 in a Central Coast Section Open Division II game as Isiah Kendrick rushed for 179 yards and three scores. Serra won the WCAL outright for the first time since 1969 and has a 35-7 win over Valley Christian. Serra lost to No. 3 Pittsburg 35-28 and lost an opener to then-No. 2 St. Mary's. Serra started 0-4 last fall and reached the CIF State Division 2-A finals.



9. (15) Granite Bay, 10-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Jeff Evans
Next: vs. No. 15 Del Campo, Friday
Update: The top-seeded Grizzlies beat Antelope 38-0 as offensive balance led the way in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II game. The losses were to No. 2 Folsom 35-14 and to then-No. 3 Oak Ridge 14-7 in overtime. The Grizzlies won the 2012 CIF State Division I championship, have made the playoffs 19 consecutive times and seek their sixth section banner.

10. (17) Jesuit (Carmichael), 10-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Marlon Blanton
Next: vs. No. 2 Folsom, Friday
Update: The Marauders beat Vacaville 42-28 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I game, downing a team that lost by 1 to Oak Ridge and Granite Bay. The winning streak is 10, the last loss coming at Folsom, 55-9. The other loss was 31-21 to Granite Bay. The rematch should be a thriller. The Marauders first reached the playoffs in 1988 and have won two section titles.

11. (6) San Ramon Valley (Danville), 9-2
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Aaron Becker
Next: Season complete
Update: The Wolves lost to Pittsburg 16-7 in the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs and also lost in Week 10 to De La Salle. San Ramon's best seasons include 2004 (11-2), 2006 (10-2), 2007 (12-1) and 2011 (10-4).

12. (10) Valley Christian (San Jose), 9-2
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Machado
Next: vs. No. 8 Serra, Friday
Update: The defending NorCal Regional Division 2-AA champions beat Oak Grove (San Jose) 36-0 in a Central Coast Section Open Division II game as Charlie Bostic and Thomas Dunham led the ground game. An earlier loss was to Serra 35-7, and the opening loss was to ranked Manteca. Valley Christian's impressive recovery warrants being ranked ahead of Manteca. Valley Christian has won seven section titles in 11 title-game appearances.

13. (11) Saint Francis (Mountain View), 8-3
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Greg Calcagno
Next: vs. Aragon (San Mateo), Friday
Update: The Lancers beat Wilcox (Santa Clara) 52-27 as Darrell Page rushed for 199 yards and five touchdowns in a Central Coast Section Division II game. One loss was to Valley Christian 28-21 and the other to De La Salle 31-17. The Lancers seek their 17th section championship and 27th championship-game appearance. Coach Calcagno is the son of famed Lancers coach Ron Calcagno.

14. (12) Milpitas, 12-0
Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Coach: Kelly King
Next: vs. Menlo-Atherton, Friday
Update: The Trojans beat Bellarmine 35-7 in the Central Coast Section Open Division I playoffs as TyRee Bracy and Tariq Bracy had big games. One win this season was by forfeit to Brookside Christian (Stockton). Milpitas has won 11, 12, 10 and 10 games in each of the past four seasons and have made the playoffs 11 consecutive seasons.



15. (NR) Del Campo (Fair Oaks), 12-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Capital Valley
Coach: Mike Dimino
Next: vs. No. 9 Granite Bay, Friday
Update: The Cougars beat Sacramento 49-48 in four overtimes in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II contest as Tyler Dimino passed for three touchdowns, Greg Cabral ran for 109 and Levi Markey 118 and two scores. Other star players include Marshaun Hunter and Trevor Brouhns. Del Campo produced its first 10-0 regular season since opening in 1963. Coach Dimino has led 15 Del Campo teams to the playoffs and is the father of Tyler.

16. (14) Sacramento, 10-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Metropolitan
Coach: Joe McCray
Next: Season complete
Update: The Dragons lost to Del Campo 49-48 in four overtimes in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II game. Sacramento lost to No. 2 Folsom 28-19 early this season a year after snapping the Bulldogs' state-leading 48-game regular-season winning streak.

17. (NR) Liberty (Brentwood), 9-2
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Ryan Partridge
Next: vs. San Leandro, Friday
Update: The Lions beat Heritage 35-15 in a North Coast Section Division I game as Jay Butterfield passed for 231 yards and three touchdowns, and Tyerell Sturges-Cofer ran for 97 yards. A big early win was over Freedom 37-35. One loss was to No. 3 Pittsburg and to once-ranked Vacaville in a season opener.

18. (19) Freedom (Oakley), 8-2
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Kevin Hartwig
Next: vs. Antioch, Saturday
Update: The Falcons beat Amador Valley 38-20 after leading 35-7 at the half in the North Coast Section Division I playoffs. One loss was to Liberty and the other to No. 3 Pittsburg 47-33 in a game that featured six lead changes to halt an 18-game regular-season winning streak. Freedom finished No. 3 in these rankings last season, falling in the playoffs to top-ranked De La Salle and No. 2 St. Mary's after an 11-0 start.

19. (20) Marin Catholic (Kentfield), 10-0
Section: North Coast
League: Marin County
Coach: Mazi Moayed
Next: vs. No. 20 Bishop O'Dowd, Saturday
Update: The Wildcats beat Miramonte 49-39 in a North Coast Section Division III game. A game against No. 6 Central Catholic in September was cancelled due to extreme heat and poor air quality. Marin Catholic this decade has had teams of 13-2, 12-1, 13-1, 14-2, 12-1 and 12-2, reaching the CIF State finals in 2012.

20. (21) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland), 9-2
Section: North Coast
League: West Alameda County
Coach: Napolean Kaufman
Next: vs. No. 19 Marin Catholic, Saturday
Update: The Dragons beat Acalanes 36-21 in a North Coast Section Division III game as Quinn Brinnon passed for 170 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two scores, and Austin Jones ran for 169 yards. The losses were to No. 1 De La Salle 45-24 after trailing 38-3 and No. 6 Freedom 42-21. O'Dowd is the defending CIF State Division 5-AA champion.



21. (22) Manteca, 10-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Eric Reis
Next: vs. Christian Brothers, Friday
Update: The Buffaloes beat American Canyon 62-32 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III game. One win was by a point over Christian Brothers early when Manteca went for two and the win late. The rematch looms. The losses were in league play to No. 7 Central Catholic 31-14 and No. 5 Oakdale 36-15. Manteca, winner of five section titles, beat Valley Christian 22-20 in an opener but is now ranked below Valley Christian due to VC's overall body of work.

22. (23) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 9-2
Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Coach: Paul Cronin
Next: vs. Rancho Cotate, Friday
Update: The Cardinals beat Encinal 49-32 in a North Coast Section Division III game to earn a third shot against Ranco Cotate. The losses are to St. Mary's and Rancho Cotate, though Cardinal Newman split with Cotate. Coach Cronin's best teams include going 13-2 in 2006, 11-2 in 2007, 13-1 in 2008, 12-1-1 in 2011, 11-2 in 2012, 11-3 in 2015 and 12-2 last season. This has been a powerhouse since the 1970s.

23. (24) Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park), 10-1
Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Coach: Gehrig Hotaling
Next: vs. Cardinal Newman, Friday
Update: The Cougars beat Eureka 38-35 in a North Coast Section Division III game as Jake Simmons passed for 305 yards and four touchdowns, three to Logan Reese, to earn a third shot against Cardinal Newman. The loss was to Cardinal Newman 34-27, two weeks after beating that team 41-28 in a cathartic recovery game for the entire region in the wake of devastating Wine Country fires. Rancho Cotate went 12-2 in 2010 and 13-1 in 2012.

24. (25) Sutter, 11-1
Section: Northern
League: Butte View
Coach: Ryan Reynolds
Next: vs. Anderson, Saturday
Update: Top ranked in the Northern Section in media polls, the Huskies belted Gridley 55-13 in a Northern Section Division III game. The loss came in an opener, to Utah power Orem, 34-18. Sutter this decade has had teams go 10-2, 13-1 and 13-1.

25. (25) Shasta (Redding), 10-1
Section: Northern
League: Eastern
Coach: JC Hunsaker
Next: vs. Chico, Saturday
Update: Top ranked in the Northern Section by a MaxPreps computer ranking, the Wolves rolled Foothill 49-0 as Ian Garcia passed for two touchdowns and Seth Park rushed for 115 and two scores and Vincent Smith went for 182 and two in a Northern Section Division II game. The loss was to Damonte Ranch of Reno, 55-41, and that team went 11-1.

The next 15
Vacaville — 7-4
Christian Brothers (Sacramento) — 10-2
Acalanes (Lafayette) — 9-2
McClymonds (Oakland) — 11-0
Half Moon Bay — 11-0
Aragon (San Mateo) — 10-1
East Nicolaus (Nicolaus) — 12-0
Salinas — 9-2
Antioch — 8-3
Inderkum (Sacramento) — 11-1
Del Oro (Loomis) — 7-5
Clayton Valley Charter (Concord) — 8-3
Sheldon (Sacramento) — 9-3
Placer (Auburn) — 12-1
Gregori (Modesto) — 11-1



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Joe Davidson has covered high school sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1988. Follow him on Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD and on Facebook: sacbeepreps and on Instagram: JoeDavidsonMedia